Stepping Into the Other's Shoes
by Kaiser Washington
Summary: When Ichigo refuses to acknowledge that Byakuya does a good job in managing his numerous responsibilities, the latter challenges him to spend a day in his shoes. One-shot. Re-uploaded.


If Ichigo Kurosaki thought that governing the affairs of an extremely noble house, and at the same time looking after an entire squad, was an easy job, he was sorely mistaken, Byakuya told him, when the former had made a stupid remark. Byakuya went on to enunciate a tediously long list of responsibilities that he was obligated to adhere to infallibly in order to balance his two worlds and bring peace to his mind.

Ichigo riposted by saying that Byakuya was probably kidding, and that nobody could possibly keep such close watch on him twenty-four-seven: he could slack off anytime without anyone knowing.

Byakuya called Ichigo an ignoramus before proceeding to describe the consequences of his slacking off in extreme detail.

Ichigo did not give up, and insisted that Byakuya was not half the man people thought he was.

Byakuya, for the first time in over a hundred years, began to show visible signs of anger.

Ichigo sensed it was time to drop the topic.

"It's time to drop the topic," he said.

But Byakuya wouldn't be placated so easily.

"You underrate my responsibilities, Ichigo Kurosaki," he said in a dangerous tone. "You will only understand if you spend a day in my shoes."

Ichigo said something stupid, to which Byakuya said, "Not literally, you fool. You will assume the role of the Head of the Kuchiki Clan as well as the Captain of the Sixth Squad for one day, at the end of which you shall report your experiences to me. And we shall see if you're still of the foolish opinion that my job is an easy one."

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears.

"Serious? You mean you're _making _me captain?"

"Only for—"

"All right!" he said, punching the air in joy. "When do I start?"

"This very minute."

Byakuya stood up, removed his haori, and handed it to Ichigo.

"I'll be informing the Head Captain of this experiment, and then be gone someplace you cannot find me. I'll return only twelve hours later, at eight in the evening."

But Ichigo was so delirious with ecstasy as he put on Byakuya's haori that he scarcely registered what Byakuya had said.

"Oh, did you say something?" he said when he registered a realization to this effect in some remote part of his consciousness.

Byakuya shook his head, the ghost of an ironic smile dancing over his pale lips.

"I shall return at the end of the day. Renji will tell you what to do," he said. "And remember. _One mistake and the consequences will be severe._"

And on this ominous note, Byakuya flash-stepped out of sight.

Ichigo walked over the other side of the desk and sat down in Byakuya's chair.

"This is the life," he said, putting his feet up on the desk and exhaling sonorously. "Ichigo Kurosaki, Captain of the Sixth Squad…" He thought it had a nice ring to it. "Captain of the Sixth Squad, Ichigo Kurosaki… Oh yeah!"

He was practically itching to tell Rukia about this, and was about to get up and do so, when the doors were thrown open and he saw Renji standing in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain," said Renji, panting and heaving. "I—" And then he saw Ichigo. "What the heck! What are… what're you doing here? And where's the captain?"

"I'm your captain today, Renji," said Ichigo, making a fair imitation of Byakuya's tone.

"No, seriously," said Renji. "Where's Captain Kuchiki."

"How stupid can you get? Can't you see this haori?"

Renji gasped.

"You… you killed Captain Kuchiki?" He fell down to the floor, sobbing. "How could you kill Captain Kuchiki? He was my inspiration to get stronger, my will to keep on fighting… My mentor… my… my… _captain_! Oh, Captain!"

"Uh, Renji," said Ichigo, clearly unimpressed by this hitherto unknown side of Renji that he was so unfortunate as to have to witness now. "He's not dead."

"He's not?" Renji was back on his feet. "Well then, why didn't you say so?"

"He made me captain and the head of his clan for one day so that I'd get an idea of how much 'responsibility' he has. As for where he is… I think he said he was going someplace I couldn't find him."

"You are _not_ my captain, you hear?" said Renji indignantly, stamping his foot on the ground like a badly behaved child when it is denied a desired object, the very thought of suffering such an indignity as to serve his archrival angering him no end. "Never! I will not accept this!"

"Byakuya will hear of this," said Ichigo with a smirk. "And he's not going to like it one bit."

It worked like alchemy. Renji instantly hailed Ichigo as the Captain of Squad Six with the expedient ceremonies.

"Captain Kurosaki!" he said dramatically. "What do we do today?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me. Byakuya told me to ask you."

"Oh, he did, did he?" said Renji, deflating like a balloon struck by a harpoon. "Then we've got ourselves a problem."

"What's that?"

"Well… I don't really do much of the work around here. It's the Captain who does everything. And well, I don't really know what he does."

"This is just great," said Ichigo, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Five minutes into this thing and it's already driving me nuts!"

"Don't worry, I'll find something for you to do," said Renji in an attempt to sound helpful. "H'm… Now what was it that every squad does? H'm… Aha! Paperwork! Maybe you should get yourself some paperwork to do. All captains do paperwork!"

"That's great!" said Ichigo. "The only problem is there _is _no paperwork."

"Not a problem," said Renji optimistically. "The other squad members'll be here any minute with piles and piles of paperwork."

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Rangiku sauntered in, clutching a sizable stack of paper close to her bosom in order to accentuate her ample endowments.

"Here you go, _Captain _Ichigo!" she said in her typical effervescent manner as she set the papers down before Ichigo, who had momentarily blacked out in the process of counting how many sheets there were. She gave her boobs a seductive jiggle (Ichigo turned tomato-red) before traipsing out of the office, humming a bright tune of some sort with which she probably intended to woo men at the bathhouse.

"I think I'd better start on this," said Ichigo, estimating that he should be done with the task at hand by lunchtime. "This shouldn't be too hard."

Scarcely had he said this when Isane and Nanao walked in, each carrying a stack of paper larger than the one Rangiku had brought.

"I need this finished in an hour's time," said Nanao with an air of authority, straightening her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "I'll be back for them."

"This is just great!" said Ichigo when the two lieutenants had gone. "How the heck am I supposed to finish this pile of shit in just one friggin' hour?"

Renji shrugged.

"Captain Kuchiki managed just fine."

Ichigo fought the urge to tear at his hair, reminding himself that only the old were supposed to be senile.

"Why're you just sitting there?" he shot at Renji. "Help me!"

"Uh, okay. Let's see. Maybe you should start on Squad Eight's papers. Nanao said she needed them quickly."

"Is that all you can say?"

"What else do you want me to do?" said Renji irritably. "I've got enough work already." He scratched out his twelfth game of tic-tac-toe as Renji O beat Renji X.

Ichigo sighed and shook his head, deciding to finish as much paperwork as he could before Nanao returned. He could easily use the excuse that he was new to all this, but he doubted if it would work on Nanao. She didn't seem the type to tolerate incompetence, being forced to put up with Captain Kyoraku's trying shenanigans every day.

It wasn't long before Shuhei and Izuru augmented Ichigo's mountain (since pile was too weak a word to describe the enormous amount of paper that Ichigo was presently buried under) of paperwork with reports from their own squads.

"Look on the bright side," said Renji. "They're about half the size of Nanao's."

Ichigo said nothing to this but clenched his fists into balls and waved them threateningly in Renji's direction.

It was midday by the time Ichigo saw the slightest hope of getting even halfway through his work. The bad part was that it was lunchtime according to his body clock, and it so happened that he had stupidly declined to be part of Kukaku's magnificent breakfast that morning under the pretext of "not being hungry".

"When's lunch?" he asked Renji after hearing his stomach grumble for the millionth time.

"Right when you're done."

"Where're you going?"

"Lunch."

Ichigo cursed aloud.

"All this paperwork's driving me crazy."

It wasn't long before the task took its toll on him, and he felt himself drift into a forbidden slumber, haunted by lieutenants and paper and Byakuya and some talk about shoes… But he had no time to reflect on these things, for a giant paper monster was chasing him with a giant paper axe. It raised the axe into the air, and brought it down with skull-breaking force…

"Ouch!" said Ichigo, waking with a start. "What the heck was that for?"

"You were asleep, you idiot," said Renji, massaging his knuckles, having evidently gotten the wrong angle. "Who do you expect is gonna do all the work? Me?"

Ichigo wanted to say, Yes, and that it was his job as lieutenant to take care of the greater part of the office-work, but was saved the trouble when the Voice of Conscience finally appealed to Renji.

"Fine, I'll help you out," he said, feeling sorry for Ichigo.

It took the two of them close to three hours to finish all the paperwork, a remarkable contrast to how long it took Ichigo just to finish a few sheets.

"Man, I'm pooped," Ichigo said, yawning and stretching his arms, as if preparing for some well-deserved shuteye.

Just then, a messenger entered.

Kneeling before Ichigo, he said, "Captain Kurosaki, the Head Captain has summoned a Captains' Meeting at the Barracks of Squad One," and departed just as suddenly as he had come.

"Terrific," said Ichigo with a scowl. "I don't _have_ to go to the Captains' Meeting, do I?" His eyes had a hopeful look in them, of the kind that one sees in children's eyes when they're cajoling their parents to relent to their wishes.

"Of course you do!" Renji snapped, unmoved. "The Head Captain summoned you, you idiot!"

"All right, all right," Ichigo said, getting up. "I'll go."

* * *

><p>"I have summoned this Meeting of the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads…" The Head Captain paused, and shot a deprecating look at Ichigo, who had just yawned loudly. Choosing to ignore this breach of conduct, he went on: "… because it has come to the notice of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, courtesy of the Department of Research and Development, of which Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the head, that a sizable number of Hollows which were intended to be used for experimental purposes have escaped. They could be anywhere in the Seireitei, wreaking havoc as we speak. The time has come for prompt action, for which the Stealth Force, already engaged elsewhere, can unfortunately not be depended upon at this time. It is necessary that one of the squads take command of the situation immediately and restore the Hollows to their cells in the Department of Research and Development, of which Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the head, safely, so that they may continue to be used for the experiments for which they were originally intended. Time is of the essence. We cannot afford to lose even a second, or we could lose lives. After much deliberation and rumination on the counsel of the other captains, I have decided that the Sixth Squad and its temporary captain, Ichigo Kurosaki, otherwise known as the 'Substitute Soul Reaper', shall be undertaking the mission of restoring the Hollows to the Department of Research and Development, of which Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the head, so that they may continue to be used for the experiments for which they were originally intended. Furthermore, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, being the head of the Department of Research and Development, from where the Hollows in question escaped, has apprised me of the fact that these Hollows may be in possession of novel abilities, owing to their being used for experimental purposes by the Department of Research and Development, of which Captain Mayuri…" And the Head Captain went on in this manner for another twelve and a half minutes, reminding the gathering continually that they could not afford to waste any time.<p>

Ichigo shared the sentiments of the other captains (except Mayuri's), and strongly suspected that the Head Captain's ridiculously long pep talk was premeditated to make Ichigo's day as temporary captain worse than it already was.

By the time the Head Captain had finally ended his speech by saying, "On this note, I bid Ichigo Kurosaki embark on this dangerous mission forthwith, and wish him success in rounding up the Hollows that escaped from the Department of Research and Development, of which Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is the head," Ichigo was already gone.

* * *

><p>"This—is—ridiculous," he said through gritted teeth between flash steps as he did what he did best, and randomly propelled himself in an unknown direction with the hope that instinct, guided by Fate, would lead him to the Hollows and allow him to get the whole thing over with so he could just laze around like he usually did.<p>

"Look!" he said to Renji, who had caught up with him by then. "There's a Hollow over there!"

Ichigo charged up spiritual energy and chopped it down to size in a jiffy, before proceeding to do the same with another Hollow that he spotted nearby.

"This is easy!" he said complacently.

"Er, Ichigo, you're not supposed to kill them," Renji reminded him. "You're supposed to capture them and return them safely to the Department of Research and—"

"ARGH! DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"Er, sorry, but anyway, you can't kill them."

Ichigo sheathed his sword.

"This really sucks. How the heck am I supposed to _capture _them?"

"I really don't know. But I bet Captain Kuchiki would have known what to do."

"Get over it, Renji, you're captain's not here."

"It's hard to get over it when you know he left someone as incompetent as you in charge of our squad," said Renji icily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"See? You're stupid, too."

"Renji, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Look out, there's a Hollow over there! Aah! And there's another one there!"

Pretty soon Hollows began appearing in every conceivable direction, the combined effect of their howling measuring, in Ichigo's estimate, around 9 on the Richter scale. He could literally feel sound waves ripple through his aching body.

"These things are everywhere!" yelled Ichigo at the top of his lungs as the Hollows had another go at their combined howling, having possibly taken to the effect it created. He managed to evade a cero, but only because he had seen it coming. "And you say I can't even attack them? What is this, a suicide mission?"

"YES!"

Renji had been immersed in deep reflection, and was finally struck with inspiration so powerful that he could not help emitting an exultant cry, like the ones people usually emit when everything's hunky-dory and their latest wish has just been fulfilled like all their previous ones.

"I've got it!" he declared with the exuberance of one who was saying it for the first time in his life. "Captain Kuchiki would have used Kidō to restrain the Hollows! Try a binding spell on them!"

It was an excellent idea, but sadly, not one that was viable, for Ichigo didn't know jack about Kidō, and the contingency of his mastering it within the next few minutes was remote.

He pointed out this major downside in Renji's otherwise brilliant idea, and watched his enthusiasm die away like a cockroach trapped in a bell jar.

"Oh," he said feebly. "The most _I_ can do is this: _Bakudo Number 1: Sai!_"

A Hollow that had impulsively charged at him had its arms tied behind its back by an invisible force. Undeterred, it opened its mouth and released a cero.

"Aeee!" shouted Ichigo as the cero passed within inches of him, its heated radiation singing his arm. "What the hell kind of Kidō was that?"

"Eh… Sorry, but that's about all I know… he he… I bet Rukia'd know what to do if she were here: she's a Kidō goddess."

Ichigo gritted his teeth in frustration and emitted one of those guttural noises that predators often emit at the end of the day when their prey has been running five paces ahead of it since morning.

"Where the hell is she when you need her? Rukia! I need you!"

And as if she'd been waiting for him to say it all the time, Rukia popped up literally out of nowhere, bereft of a fighting poise, and with Sode no Shirayuki conveniently stuffed away in its sheath.

"Were you spying on us?" said Ichigo, unwilling to accept that Rukia had witnessed his embarrassing loss of self-control and the resulting emotional outburst.

"I wouldn't call it spying," she said unabashedly. "I was just curious to see how you two were getting on without Brother. Evidently not well."

Ichigo's face turned scarlet.

"Du—I—Well…" he groped around fruitlessly for words.

"Stand aside," said Rukia with an air of authority and a touch of superciliousness, both of which became her rather well.

"_Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!_"

The Hollow she was aiming at became trapped by six yellow bars of light that not only immobilized it but also debilitated its internal cero cannon.

The other Hollows, upon witnessing this, produced another one of their collective cries and charged at Rukia, more because instinct dictated them to do so than any desire to avenge a fallen comrade that had ironically never been a comrade.

Unfazed, Rukia flash-stepped from one spot to another gracefully, all the while chanting "_Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!_" as if it were simply a catchy phrase and took no toll on her.

"It's their favorite spell," Renji explained dryly to Ichigo, who stared dumbfounded as Rukia incarcerated Hollow after Hollow within the all-encompassing prison of light. "Hers and the Captain's, I mean."

After Rukia had restrained every last Hollow and piled all of them on the ground, she returned to where Renji and Ichigo were standing.

"Done," she said, adding "Piece of cake" to highlight the incompetence of the two men. "I'll have the Twelfth Squad clean this up later."

"That was…" Ichigo began, still convalescing from the shock of seeing frail little Rukia do something so macho. "That… Was that really you?"

This earned him a punch in the face.

"Don't _ever_ underestimate me, you moron!"

"Sorry," said Ichigo incoherently, his hands flying up to his nose, which he feared was broken. He made a mental note to pay Captain Unohana a visit later.

"Where are you going, Ichigo?" asked Rukia as Ichigo turned to leave.

"What do you mean? I'm going back to the office to get some rest, and probably get my nose—"

"You can't. The Kuchiki Clan Elders need you back at the Manor. Every evening they discuss important things with Brother."

"What important things?" asked Ichigo without enthusiasm, sensing an indefinite prolongation of his misfortune that he could not bypass. He was frankly in no mood to sit around talking boring talk with cranky old men. Especially after he had incurred such bad injury at the hands of, not the Hollows, but Rukia. He felt himself entitled to rest, and voiced his opinions in this matter to Rukia.

"Oh?" said Rukia, her voice taking on a mocking tone that Ichigo was only too used to. "Then it's obvious that you're unable to cope with Brother's responsibilities. Which only proves that you're chicken." It was _mot juste_.

"Chicken?"

"Chicken."

"Say that again."

"Chicken."

"Okay fine, I'll do it. Just… just be there so I don't feel like a douchebag."

"Can't. Captain Ukitake summoned me."

"Oh, he did, did he? Well I'm gonna go have a word with Captain Ukitake—"

"No!" Rukia shouted with such urgency that Ichigo looked momentarily surprised. "I mean no. He's, er, asleep at this time. You know, because of his cough and everything. You can't disturb him."

Ichigo snorted in reluctant submission to her wishes.

"Then Renji, you come with me," he shot at the redhead.

"M-me?" stammered Renji as though Ichigo had suggested that he do something fatal. "Why me?"

"Because you're Byakuya's lieutenant. You should know your way around his house pretty well."

"Are you kidding me? The most I've ever seen of his house are the front gates, and that was only when I was passing by. That house gives me creeps. No way, I'm not going in."

"Fine!" said Ichigo in exasperation, stomping off in a huff, calling Renji and Rukia losers in the process.

"Er, Ichigo…"

"What?" he snapped.

"The house is that way."

* * *

><p>"So this is Kuchiki Manor?" said Ichigo, feeling very small in front of the tall, unwelcoming gates that bore what was probably the Kuchiki Emblem. "It's huge!"<p>

And indeed it was. The winding path that led up from the gate to the palatial manor seemed to go on for miles. The house itself was overbearingly large, the highest windows reflecting sunlight into Ichigo's face, the lower ones invisible behind the voluminous canopies of befittingly large trees. The whole place seemed deserted, and Ichigo should have liked to use this as an excuse to quietly slip away had he not been spotted by one of the servants, who had been idly perambulating in one of the large lawns and thought he had seen something stir by the gates.

"Who are you?" asked the servant austerely and in a patronizing tone that suggested that even the servants of the Kuchiki Clan had their share of Kuchiki pride.

"Er, actually, Byakuya—"

The servant gasped.

"You dare speak the Master's name with your dirty lips! You worthless piece of filth! Begone!"

"How the heck am I supposed to talk to your stupid Elders if you won't even let me in?"

"Why on earth should I let a vagabond like you into this noble manor?" said the servant, almost apoplectic at this point.

"Because I'm _Ichigo Kurosaki_!" Ichigo shouted, never taking more pride in his name before.

The servant gasped once more and bit his lip, as though a profanity had escaped it. And then, much to Ichigo's surprise, he fell onto his knees and started wailing.

"Forgive me, Lord! I failed to recognize you. Yes… Lord Kuchiki had said you would be taking his place at the head of the family today. I was a fool… punish me as you see fit, Master Kurosaki!"

"Er," said Ichigo. "I don't want to punish you. But what you can do for me is opening these gates."

"Of course!" said the servant, hurriedly getting to his feet and opening the gates for Ichigo. "Welcome to the Noble House of Kuchiki. Would you like me to show you around first, or would you rather—?"

"No thanks," said Ichigo. "Just take me to the Elders. I wanna get this thing over with at the soonest."

"As you wish, my lord," said the servant, bowing so low that the tip of his nose might have touched the noble ground. After resurfacing he said, "The Elders have chosen the Garden Hall as today's venue for the Meeting. Usually it's the Jeweled Sunroom, but because you were coming today in his lordship's stead—"

"Take me to the Garden Hall."

"Of course, of course."

Ichigo followed the servant down another winding path, which wound itself through gardens of ethereal beauty, with flowers whose names no one but the Kuchiki gardeners would have known, grass so nicely maintained that it looked like carpet, trees that bore the sweetest-smelling fruit, vines that climbed almost seductively on poles, and other such things that he had no patience to dwell on. He was never an admirer of nature, and the last thing his date should expect from him—that is to say, when he decides to take someone on a date—is flowers.

The winding path he was walking on soon joined another winding path, and this winding path branched into two winding paths that went in two separate directions, one toward and the other away from the manor. The servant led Ichigo down the latter path, which went a short distance downhill, with the towering bushes on either side casting ominous shadows over the path and those walking on it. This eventually cleared away to reveal a kind of small valley, at the center of which stood a magnificent, rectangular building, whose window grilles were shaped like vines and whose sloping roofs were made of glass. The general picture was that of a noble greenhouse.

"The Garden Hall?" guessed Ichigo.

"No, the garden shed. The Garden Hall is a little distance off."

And they went down into the valley-like thing from one side and went up the other, where they got onto another winding path and followed it to wherever it led. This winding path joined another winding path that Ichigo strongly suspected they had taken before.

"Are you taking me around in circles?" he demanded of the servant.

"No," the servant replied pleasantly.

They continued down that path until it branched into two different winding paths, one leading toward the manor and the other away from the manor. They took the latter path, which went downhill a short distance, the towering bushes on either side casting dark shadows over them, until they reached a small valley, at the center of which stood a rectangular building whose window grilles were shaped like vines and whose sloping roofs were made of glass.

"The garden shed," said Ichigo with asperity, not finding anything funny about it.

"No. It's the Garden Hall," said the servant. "Now hurry, or the Elders will get impatient."

Ichigo decided to condone the servant's idea of fun, now being in possession of the requisite authority to do so, and proceeded to the Garden Hall.

He opened its double doors tentatively, not sure how the Elders would take to his appearance, which, he conceded, was quite a bit less noble than Byakuya's.

"Come in," said a booming old voice that sounded rather like the Head Captain's. "We have been awaiting you, Lord Kurosaki. Have a seat, and then the meeting shall commence."

Ichigo walked over to where the Elder was pointing—a throne-like seat at the head of an ornate rectangular table—while regarding the other occupants of the room with a curious eye. There were seven Elders in all, and each one looked the same as the next. Except for a she-Elder, but the difference was only noticeable on closer inspection.

Ichigo sat down.

No one spoke.

He observed how the evening light entering through the high glass roof bathed the room in a golden hue that seemed to accentuate the wistful inevitably of the Elders' impending deaths. That is, assuming that no one had died while waiting for Ichigo.

The she-Elder cleared her throat and spoke, and her voice could easily pass for a man's, though no man Ichigo knew had a voice that sounded so much like a bulldozer trying to pull itself out of quicksand.

"The Head of the House must be the first to speak," she said meaningfully.

Ichigo fumbled and groped around for something to say.

"It's wonderful weather today," he said finally.

A murmur of approval ran along the Elders.

With increased confidence, he declared, "I expect that the weather will stay nice all week."

Once again the Elders looked at each other and nodded and grunted.

One particular Elder, most probably younger than the rest, for he looked comparatively sharper, seemed to realize something was amiss.

"We are supposed to discuss the future of the Kuchiki Clan, my lord," he said. "Like we do every day."

"Why do you discuss it every day?"

"Our memory isn't—ah—as good as it used to be," said another elder.

More like they want to be sure they are _in_ the future of the Kuchiki Clan, Ichigo thought dully.

"So what do you guys wanna talk about?" he said.

"The future of the Kuchiki Clan," said a third Elder cheerfully.

"Right. So the Kuchiki Clan's got Rukia, and Byakuya, and loads of those servants and other people. And oh, it's got you, too."

A round of applause rang out for Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed.

The sun had lost interest in the congregation, and darkness started to creep in.

_How much longer am I supposed to be here?_

It was precisely 7.45 p.m. when the she-Elder (who also happened to be the Head Elder) dismissed the meeting, and 7.53 by the time Ichigo reached the front gates whence he had entered earlier that evening.

He had hardly walked five steps when someone flash-stepped before him.

Screwing his eyes up, for exhaustion seemed to have adversely affected his vision, he perceived that it was Byakuya.

"Oh, Byakuya," he said. "I give up!" he cried, slumping down to the ground. "Your job is _soooo_ tiring. I can barely move."

Byakuya gave vent to a "hmpf" of satisfaction.

"I'm glad you realize that now. Never say such thoughtless things again."

"It's a promise," said Ichigo solemnly. "Anyway, where've you been all this time?"

Byakuya straightened his scarf with dignity.

"I've had rather a nice time. Your sisters, I must say, are a lot more cultured than you are. Of course, something must be done about your father. I've also realized that that thing you call 'soccer' is rather an enjoyable pastime to indulge in."

Ichigo stared at him dumbstruck.

"In fact, I'd like to remain in your shoes for one more day. So don't take off that haori yet."

* * *

><p>AN: Originally published in 2009.


End file.
